Supporting the Development of Academic Language

Jill Robbins Second Language Learning Consultants, Washington, DC

What’s difficult in Math?

• Verbal Explanations: referent is abstract, must produce explanations • Vocabulary: unique words and specialized meanings of common words: round, table, little context • Structures: specialized syntax • Non-Linguistic Factors: measurement system, numerical conventions

Math’s Syntactic Structures

• Comparatives (greater/less than; n times as much as; as…as) • Prepositions (divided into; divided by; multiplied by) • Passive Voice (x is defined as…) • Reversals (a = b - 5 or b - a = 5) • Logical Connectors (if…then…)

Problem-Solving Steps

1. Understand the problem 2. Find the needed information 3. Choose a plan 4. Solve the problem 5. Check the answer

What’s difficult in Science?

• Vocabulary: Latin/Greek • Discourse: facts presented; • Inferences expected • Structures: increasingly complex • Academic Language Skills • Concepts: • conflict with naïve understandings • Study Skills: • locate info, take notes • Read diagrams, charts

What’s difficult in Social Studies?

• Concepts & Prior Knowledge • Vocabulary: words represent complex ideas: democracy • Language Functions:analyze, compare, contrast, evaluate • Structures: long sentences with embedded clauses; cause/effect phrases; variety of tenses used

What is Academic Language?

• • • • • Language used during teaching and learning.

Language of literature.

Language in content textbooks.

Language used to communicate new concepts.

Language of literacy.

Teaching Academic Language

1. Identify student needs 2. Provide comprehensible texts 3. Expect authentic and appropriate student products

Sociolinguistic Perspective on Academic Language

• Solomon & Rhodes (1995) Identified disparity between researchers’ and educators’ concepts of academic language • Cultural component to academic discourse: differing Initiation-Reply Evaluation (IRE) patterns (Phiilips 1983)

1.

Academic Language Needs of English Learners

• Develop academic vocabulary.

• Understand and use correct grammatical structures and appropriate discourse.

• Read to acquire new information.

• Understand information presented orally.

• Participate in classroom discussions.

• Write to communicate knowledge and ideas.

2.

Academic Language Texts

• Informational texts: articles, essays, textbooks, websites, electronic databases.

• Oral texts: teacher, speakers, students, video, TV, film.

3.

Academic Language Products

• Science lab reports and presentations • Math problem explanations.

• Social Studies research reports.

• Constructed answers to demonstrate comprehension.

Analyzing Textbook Language

What difficulties will ELLs have with this type of content material?

THE TEACHER’S ROLE

• Model academic language.

• Practice literacy across the curriculum.

• Teach language awareness.

• Develop students’ metacognition.

• Teach learning strategies.

Language Awareness and Use

• Focus on language forms.

• Identify language registers.

• Practice language functions.

• Differentiate between discourse styles.

• Use language for critical thinking.

• Gain insight into own L1 and L2.